1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved reversing valve construction and to a method of making the same.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known to provide a reversing valve construction having a housing means provided with a chamber carrying a movable valve member therein that controls port means of the valve seat means of the housing means through the relative position of a cavity of the valve member relative to the port means, the port means comprising first, second and third ports disposed in spaced apart and straight line relation and the cavity bridging the first and second ports while exposing the chamber to the third port when the valve member is in one position thereof and bridging the second and third ports while exposing the chamber to the first port when the valve member is in another position thereof. The valve member carries a flexible annular sealing member that is disposed between an annular surface of the valve member and the valve seat means and surrounds the cavity to seal the cavity to the valve seat means while permitting sliding movement therebetween. The housing means carries biasing means that is operatively associated with the valve member and the housing means to urge and flex the sealing member into sealing engagement with the valve seat means so as to tend to sealingly conform the flexible sealing member to the contour of the valve seat means.
For example, see the following three U.S. Patents:
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,905 - Bauer PA1 (2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,483 - Bauer PA1 (3) U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,469 - Bauer PA1 (4) U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,312 - Greenawalt PA1 (5) U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,670 - Bauer et al
It is also known to provide a reversing valve construction having a housing means provided with a movable valve member therein that is operatively interconnected to a piston unit disposed in the housing means and having opposed piston heads each of which is disposed in sliding and sealing engagement with an internal peripheral surface of the housing means so as to define a main chamber between the piston heads and a pair of outboard control chambers respectively between the piston heads and the opposed ends of the housing means, each piston head having bleed orifice means interconnecting its respective control chamber to the main chamber, each of the piston heads having a poppet valve member for closing a valve seat carried by the respective end of the housing means and leading to its respective control chamber.
For example, see the following two U.S. Patents: